Wu (surname)

For the surname 伍ご (Wǔ; Ng5), see Wu (surname 伍ご). For the surname 武たけ (Wǔ: Mo5), see Wu (surname 武ぶ). For the surname 胡えびす (Hú; Wu), see Hu (surname).

Wu

Wu surname in regular script
Pronunciation	Wú (Pinyin)
Language(s)	Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean
Origin
Language(s)	Old Chinese
Derivation	State of Wu
Other names
See also	O Ng Ngô Ngov Vue) (Hmong surname)

Wú is the pinyin transliteration of the Chinese surname 吳ご (Simplified Chinese 吴), which is a common surname (family name) in Mainland China. Wú (吳ご) is the sixth name listed in the Song Dynasty classic Hundred Family Surnames. In 2019 Wu was the ninth most common surname in Mainland China. A 2013 study found that it was the eighth most common surname, shared by 26,800,000 people or 2.000% of the population, with the province having the most being Guangdong.

The Cantonese and Hakka transliteration of 吳くれ is Ng, a syllable made entirely of a nasal consonant while the Min Nan transliteration of 吳くれ is Ngo, Ngoh, Ngov, Goh, Go, Gouw, depending on the regional variations in Min Nan pronunciation. Shanghainese transliteration of 吳くれ is Woo.

吳ご is also one of the most common surnames in Korea. It is spelled 오 in Hangul and romanized O by the three major romanization systems, but more commonly spelled Oh in South Korea. It is also related far back in Chinese history with the name "Zhou (周しゅう)" and "Ji (姬ひめ)". The Vietnamese equivalent of the surname is Ngô.

Several other, less common Chinese surnames are also transliterated into English as "Wu", but with different tones:

武たけ Wǔ, 伍ご Wǔ, 仵 Wǔ, 烏がらす Wū (also Wù), 鄔 Wū and 巫みこ Wū.

Wu (or Woo or Wou) is also the Cantonese transliteration of the Chinese surname 胡えびす (Mandarin Hu), used in Hong Kong, and by overseas Chinese of Cantonese-speaking areas of Guangdong, Guangxi, and/or Hong Kong/Macau origin.

History of the surname Wu (吳ご)

The name originates from the ancient state of Wu in present-day province of Jiangsu.

In the 13th century BC, the state of Zhou (which will later become the Zhou Dynasty) was ruled by Tai Wang (King Tai of Zhou). His surname was originally Ji (姬ひめ). He had three sons: Taibo, Zhongyong, and Jili. King Tai of Zhou favored the youngest son, Jili to inherit the reins of power, therefore Taibo and his brother Zhongyong voluntarily left Zhou with a group of followers and headed southeast where they established the state of Wu. Taibo and Zhongyong's descendants eventually adopted Wu (吳ご) as their surname. The state of Wu later became a powerful kingdom of its own with the help of Generals Wu Zixu and Sun Tzu, the latter best known as the author of the military treatise The Art of War, both serving under King Helü of Wu. King Helü is considered to be one of the Five Hegemons of China during the Spring and Autumn period.

Taibo and Zhongyong's youngest brother Jili stayed to rule the Zhou state and was the grandfather of Wu Wang (King Wu of Zhou) who started the Zhou Dynasty after successfully overthrowing the Shang Dynasty. The descendants of Wu Wang eventually changed their surname from Ji (姬ひめ) to Zhou (周しゅう) during the Qin Dynasty to commemorate the merits and virtues of their ancestors.

Therefore, the surnames Wu (吳ご), Zhou (周しゅう), and Ji (姬ひめ) are historically related.

Notable people

(in alphabetical order according to their names as spelled in Pinyin, or if unavailable, in English)

Historical figures

• 姬ひめ 吳ご泰やすし伯はく – Taibo of Wu, eldest son of King Tai of Zhou and the legendary founder of the State of Wu, and the propagator of all people with the surname Wu (吳ご). Ancestral name is Ji (姬ひめ).
• 吳ご起おこり (吴起) – Wu Qi, famous Chu general who wrote the Wuzi
• 吳ご漢かん (吴汉) – Wu Han (Han dynasty), military general of Eastern Han
• 吳ご景けい (吴景) – Wu Jing (Han dynasty), military general under Warlord Sun Jian
• 吳ご瑞みずほ – Wu Rui (eunuch), Chinese eunuch in Lê Dynasty Annam (Vietnam)
• 吳ご三さん桂かつら (吴三さん桂かつら) – Wu Sangui (1612–1678), Ming Dynasty general
• 吳ご梅うめ (吴梅) – Ng Mui (Wu Méi), one of the legendary Five Elders of the Shaolin Temple
• 吳ご懿 (吴懿) – Wu Yi (Three Kingdoms), general of Shu Han
• 吴藻 – Wu Zao (1799–1862), Chinese poet

Modern figures

• 吳ご廷琰- Ngô Đình Diệm (Wú Tíngyǎn), First president of South Vietnam (1955-1963)
• Wu Chen-huan, Political Deputy Minister of Justice of the Republic of China (2012–2015)
• Wu Chien-Shiung, Chinese-American experimental physicist (1912-1997)
• Wu Chih-chung, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of China (2016–2018)
• Wu Ching-ji, Deputy Mayor of Taipei (2006–2009)
• Wu Den-yih, chairperson of Kuomintang
• Wu Hong-mo, Minister of Transportation and Communications of the Republic of China (2018)
• Wu Hsin-hsing, Minister of Overseas Community Affairs Council of the Republic of China
• Wu Mei-hung, Political Deputy Minister of Mainland Affairs Council of the Republic of China (2013–2015)
• Wu Ming-ji, Deputy Minister of Council for Economic Planning and Development of the Republic of China (2012–2013)
• Wu Rong-i, Vice Premier of the Republic of China (2005–2006)
• Wu Se-hwa, Minister of Education (2014–2016)
• Wu Shiow-ming, Chairperson of Fair Trade Commission of the Republic of China (2009–2017)
• Wu Tang-chieh, Political Deputy Minister of Finance of the Republic of China (2013–2016)
• Wu Tiecheng, Vice Premier of the Republic of China (1948–1949)
• Wu Tsung-tsong, Minister of National Science Council of the Republic of China (2006–2008)
• Wu Tze-cheng, Governor of Taiwan Province (2017–2018)
• Wu Tzu-hsin, Administrative Deputy Minister of Finance of the Republic of China
• Wu Ying-yih, Minister of Overseas Community Affairs Council of the Republic of China (2008–2013)
• Wu Yuhong (born 1966), Chinese badminton player
• 吳ご恬敏 – Constance Wu, American actress
• Harry Wu (1937–2016), human rights activist
• 吴倩 – Wu Qian (actress), Chinese actress
• Adrienne Wu (born 1990), Canadian fashion designer
• Brianna Wu, American video game developer and commentator
• Billy Goh
• 吳ご辰たつ君くん (吴辰君くん) – Annie Wu (actress), Taiwanese actress
• 吳ご庚かのえ霖 – Wu Geng Lin, birth name of Aaron Yan 炎ほのお亞あ綸, actor and singer in Taiwanese band Fahrenheit
• 吳清源ごせいげん (吳清源ごせいげん) – Wú Qīngyuán (Go Seigen), Chinese-born Japanese Go player
• Frank Wu, American artist and husband of Brianna Wu
• 伦纳德とく·吴 – Leonard Wu, American actor
• 吳ご百ひゃく福ぶく (吴百ひゃく福ぶく) – Go Pek-Hok (Momofuku Ando) (1910–2007), Taiwanese-born Japanese inventor of instant noodles
• 吳ご邦國ほうこく (吴邦国こく) – Wu Bangguo, former Chairman of the Politburo Standing Committee of the Chinese Communist Party
• 吴官正せい – Wu Guanzheng, former member of the Politburo Standing Committee
• 吳ご尊たかし – Wu Chun, Brunei-born actor and singer in Taiwanese band Fahrenheit
• 吳ご健雄たけお (吴健雄ゆう) – Wu Chien-Shiung, Chinese scientist
• 吳ご彥祖 (吴彦祖そ) – Wu, Daniel, American actor
• 吳ご凱文 (吴凯文ぶん) – Wu, Kevin, American internet personality
• 吳ご振ふ偉えら (吴振伟) – Wu, David, congressman from the 1st district of Oregon
• 吴虹霓 – Wu, Hongni (born 1994), Chinese mezzo-soprano opera singer
• 吳ご憲けん (吴宪) – Wu, Hsien (1893–1959), an early protein scientist
• 吳ご季き剛つよし (吴季刚) – Jason Wu, Taiwanese Canadian fashion designer
• 吳ご迪すすむ -Di Wu (pianist), American-Chinese concert pianist
• 吳ご鑑あきら泉いずみ (吴鉴泉いずみ) – Wu Jianquan (1870–1942), Taijiquan teacher
• 吴立红 – Wu Lihong, environmental activist
• 吴乐宝たから – Wu Lebao, Chinese cyber-dissident
• 吳ご蠻 (吴蛮) – Wu Man, pipa and ruan player
• 吳ご弭 - Michelle Wu (born 1985), mayor of Boston (2021–)
• 吴旻 - Min Wu (born 1974), Chinese-American electrical engineer
• 吳ご慶けい瑞みず (吴庆瑞みず) – Wu Qingrui (Goh Keng Swee, 1918–2010), former Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore
• 吳ご蕊しべ思おもえ (吴蕊思おもえ) – Wu Ruisi (Goh, Theresa Rui Si), Singaporean Paralympic swimmer
• 吳ご詩し聰さとし – Shin-Tson Wu (born 1953), American physicist and professor
• Wu Shoei-yun
• 吴水娇 – Wu Shuijiao (born 1992), Chinese track and field hurdler
• 吳ご天明てんめい (吴天明てんめい) – Wu Tianming, Chinese film director
• 吳ご文俊ふみとし – Wu Wenjun (1919–2017), Chinese mathematician
• 吳ご儀ただし (吴仪) – Wu Yi (politician), vice-premier of the People's Republic of China
• 呉ご子こ良りょう – Wu Ziliang, the birthname of Emi Suzuki, Japanese model of Chinese descent
• 吳ご作さく棟とう (吴作栋) – Wu Zuodong (Goh Chok Tong), former Prime Minister of the Republic of Singapore, current Senior Minister of Singapore and the chairman of the Central Bank of Singapore
• 吴亦凡 – Kris Wu, ex-member of the Chinese-South Korean boy group EXO, Chinese-Canadian rapper and actor
• 吴宣仪 – Wu Xuanyi, member of South Korean–Chinese girl group Cosmic Girls, contestant on Produce 101 China, and member of Chinese girl group Rocket Girls 101
• 吳ご奇き隆たかし – Wu Qilong (Nicky Wu), Chinese actor/singer
• 吴映洁 – Wu Ying Chieh (Gui Gui), Taiwanese mandopop singer and actress
• 吳ご天恩てんおん – Andrew Gotianun (1927–2016), Chinese Filipino businessman
• 吳ご奕輝 – John Gokongwei (1926-2019), Chinese Filipino businessman
• 吴非 – Wu Fei, Beijing composer and guzheng performer and improviser
• Wendy Wu: Homecoming Warrior, 2006 movie
• Wendy Wu, performer with The Photos
• William F. Wu – American science-fiction writer
• 吳ご漢かん潤じゅん – Haing S. Ngor, doctor, actor and author
• 吳ご耀漢 – Richard Woo, Hong Kong actor
• 吳ご宇森 – John Woo, Hong Kong director
• 呉ご由姫ゆき – Yuki Kure, manga artist
• 吳ご光正みつまさ Peter Woo Hong Kong business magnate
• 吴军 Wu Jun (victim), Chinese survivor and victim of a robbery-murder case. His friend Cao Ruyin was murdered; their two attackers were separately sentenced to death and to 18.5 years' jail for murder and robbery with hurt respectively.
• 吳ご漢かん章あきら - James Hong, Chinese American actor
• 吳ご青峰せいほう - Wu Qing-feng (Wu Tsing-Fong), Taiwanese singer and vocalist for Sodagreen band
• 吳ご宇昂 - Wu Yuang (born 1998), Chinese sprinter

Other surnames

Wū (鄔)

It is the 78th name on the Hundred Family Surnames poem.

• 鄔君梅うめ (邬君梅うめ) – Wu Junmei (Vivian Wu), Chinese actress

Wū (乌)

• 乌国庆 (烏がらす國こく慶けい) – Wu Guoqing, police detective and forensic scientist

Wū (巫みこ)

Further information: Wu (shaman)

巫みこ wū ("shaman") rarely occurs as a surname although it's more commonly associated with Malaysians of Chinese descent, or Chinese people that share connections with Malaysia. It is generally related to the Chinese compound surname Wuma 巫みこ馬ば (lit. "horse shaman; equine veterinary"), but can also be regarded as a shortened term for 巫みこ来由らいゆ/巫みこ來由らいゆ (wūláiyóu), a transcription of Malay Melayu.

• Eric Moo 巫みこ啟けい賢けん - Malaysian Chinese singer
• Boo Tiang Huat 巫みこ镇发 - Singaporean Chinese policeman